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LOT 0115
Italic Banded Agate Scarab with Kneeling Warrior in Gold Mount
3RD CENTURY B.C.
1 in. (5.24 grams, 25 mm).
Scarab bezel with carapace detailing and intaglio of a kneeling male nude wearing a helmet, holding a shield, sword and a spear; set into a later gold swivel ring; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenanceEnglish private collection.
Acquired on the English art market.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13110-248399.
See Boardman, J. and Vollenweider, M-L., Catalogue of the Engraved Gems and Finger Rings, I: Greek and Etruscan, Oxford, 1978, item 237; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 48.11.1.; Chadour, A.B. Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 123 for intaglio.
FootnotesThe intaglio can depict Capaneus, a legendary, strong, skilled, but arrogant warrior. He was one of the Seven Against Thebes, who boasted that not even Zeus could stop him from scaling the city walls. However, as he climbed them, Zeus struck him down with a bolt of lightning, illustrating divine punishment for his hubris. Evadne, his wife, then threw herself onto the funerary pyre in her grief. The story of strength but excessive pride was reflected in Dante's Inferno, where Capaneus is in the seventh circle as a condemned blasphemer.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0115
Italic Banded Agate Scarab with Kneeling Warrior in Gold Mount
Sold for (Inc. bp): £11,700
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Scythian Electrum Torc
7th-5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £14,300
Formed as a simple penannular hoop from a single piece of electrum, tapering towards the terminals. 169 grams, 16.5 cm diameter
Ex Jack Ogden, 1990s. Accompanied by an expertise from Striptwist Ltd, a London-based company run by historical precious metal specialist Dr Jack Ogden, reference number [191101]. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13106-248042.
Portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis confirms the alloy to be electrum, with an average composition of approximately 62% gold, 34% silver, and 3% copper. The purity and metal ratios are consistent with ancient manufacture. The restrained form, lacking figural ornament, is characteristic of early Scythian metalwork and suggests a date prior to the 5th century BC. -
Greek Terracotta Citharode
6th-4th century B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
D-shaped in section with close-cut hairstyle, standing, holding a cithara supported on the left arm, strumming with the right hand. 62 grams, 86 mm
Ex Shlomo Moussaieff (1925-2015), Israel. European private collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13107-246791. -
Greek Gold Ring with Rosettes
5th century B.C. or laterEstimate: £1,800 - 2,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £900
Twisted hoop with granulated mounting lobes, swivel-mounted hollow-formed disc bezel with granule clusters to the rim, filigree and granule clusters to the obverse. 8.94 grams, 23.27 mm overall, 21.6x18.1 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P 1/2, USA 7 3/4, Europe 16.86, Japan 16)
Acquired on the UK art market 1971-1974. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13163-248089.
